Still Moving Forward!

I'm always so surprised at how fast time goes by.  Last time I blogged was back in April of this year.  My husband had a kidney transplant on March 21st of this year and I was quite overwhelmed!  It was a rough six months to get to September when he finally began to regain some of his energy.  This is the middle of November and I'm just beginning to catch up.  It has been a rough year, but also an incredible blessing.  I have my husband back.  But there is also a down side to this; another family lost someone that was important to them.  Our blessing is some else's loss.  

Quilt # 5  Chinese Flowers
I've had limited time quilting this year although I have manager to get a couple more quilts quilted and finished.  I also made a baby quilt for my grandniece.

 This one was finished and sent off in May (2018).

The background is simply back and white prints, dots and checks.  The flowers are from my own hand dyed fabrics.  I was trying to use what to my eye was Chinese colors.  My fabrics didn't quite do the trick, but it did turn out well on the black.  I went exploring for stitches on my little Janome (not a fancy machine).  Every area that I did was done with different threads and different stitches.  I used a multi colored batik for the binding.  This quilt is free motion quilting on Phoebe, my Grace Q'nique long arm.  Lots of creativity and fun!

Quilt #6  No name

This quilt is not named yet.  I saw a quilt someplace years ago.  If I knew anything about it, I would give credit where credit is due.  I fell in love with the stars in the sashing of this Log Cabin Quilt and worked out the sashing including the stars.  The layout is sort of my own.  I'm sure it has been done before, but I simply played until I got what I liked. The setting triangles and border are made from a green printed with gold stars.  The red centers to the blocks are a deep rust/red pin whale corduroy!  Yes, it washed beautifully in this quilt.

This one is 68" x 68".  I think it is the 2nd widest quilt that I've done and as you can see there is still move room on the 8 foot SR2 frame from Grace Frame Company.

  

 I used Hobb's Heirloom Wool Batting for this quilt.  It was the first time I used it.  It is a perfect weight of a New England Summer Quilt, but only okay for our winters.  This is only November and I'm finding I need and extra quilt over me at night...maybe even two!

This quilt is done with rulers.  The quilting made the stars look awesome!  My centers are anything but perfect, but they were greatly improved by the ruler work.  The Log Cabin block is done in the ditch and down the center of each strip.

This is the center block.  I was never quite sure what I would do in the center,  At one time I thought about hand embroidery there, but I like this so much better.  Again it is ruler work with free motion stippling.  So glad I chose this; it seems perfect on the quit. 

I pieced this quilt back in the late 1990s or early 2000s, I think.  I was overwhelmed with the idea of quilting it by hand.  I wanted to design quilt tops; I used to love designing and piecing them.  Best part for me is choosing the colors.

The binding is complete and this quilt is on my bed.  Not my warmest quilt, but I sure do love the way the wool batting holds is puffiness.  I do consider this a good choice.

Quilt #7  He Loves Me  Jackie Robinson/Maywood Studios

So this is the next quilt.  It is a Jackie Robinson kit.  I love her work because of the specialty fabric for the border.  It is printed in stripes the length of the bolt.  Makes a fancy border easily.  I love the colors as well.  It's not a large quilt; I wanted something for my back porch hammock.  I nap there sometimes on hot summer days.  Funny, I wake up cold if I don't have a quilt under me.  In my back garden are orange day lilies, Gloriosa Daisies (fancy brown eyed Susans) and daisies.  My garden is the same color as this quilt.  Again the quilt top is about 6/7 years old.  So glad to have this quilt finished!

 

I chose a matching plaid for the backing.  Not sure what company, though.  And this one has Quilters Dream wool in it.  This is a thicker batting and I do like it a lot.  It is warmer than the Hobbs Heirloom Wool.  It makes a nice winter's companion with the No Name quilt.

I did in-the-ditch quilting all over, then went back to the triangles to quilt the big flowers.  The centers are ruler work, but the rest is Free motion quilting.  I was beginning to learn quilting directions to get across a row without breaking the thread.  This one is also finished and is now on the foot of my bed so I can grab it if I need the extra quilt.

Problems!

So, two weeks ago I ran into problems with a thread catching in the bobbin area on Phoebe.  I'm waiting for the repair man to call.  The same week I had the problem, he and his wife were at Houston Quilt Market.  I expect this past week he was exhausted.  Hoping to hear from him soon.  I'm missing Phoebe...

I did get one other quilt quilted before I lost Phoebe, but it is not trimmed yet for the binding.  That top goes back to the mid 1980s.  It is basically the first machine pieced quilt I learned to make; it's a string quilt.  As soon as it is complete, I will be taking pictures and posting it.  And I'm working on one that I hand pieced back in the early 1990s and started hand quilting a couple of years ago.  I've moved it to Phoebe's frame.  I just need to finish it.  It is an Irish chain made from 4" squares.  I've hand quilted the large empty white blocks and I'm in the process of long arm quilting pumpkin seeds in the 4" alternating nine patch blocks.  Again, no pics yet.  

Meanwhile, I'm repairing a quilt for a friend.  She purchase it in Lancaster County, PA back in the late 1990s.  Some of the fabric is very weak and wearing out.  I do still enjoy hand work, so I'm enjoying working on this quilt right now.

So, at this point, I have seen seven quilts completed for this year and I've learned so much about long arm quilting.  Special thanks to the FMQ and long arm quilters on YouTube and Craftsy that I have watched incessantly to learn both ruler work and free motion on my long arm.  The stunning part of this is that quilting by machine is now my favorite step.  I tend to want to purchase quilt kits so that I can get tops done quickly.  So looking forward to piecing a top and going right to the quilting process before I start a new quilt.  That will be new to me.

Enjoying God's blessings!

dianne

So many blessings!

There are always so many things going on.

Almost six years ago, my husband was diagnosed with kidney failure. He was told he had 2 to 7 years to live.  It literally changed our lives.  About four months later, my husband was air lifted from Plymouth NH to Burlington MA in a medical emergency.  He started dialysis just after Christmas during this event.  We were forced into retirement because of his health and that seemed to be the beginning of one crisis after another for about two years, maybe a little longer.  I count it one of the most difficult times of my life.  Generally speaking,  I think I've had more difficult times in my life than those I would consider outstandingly good times.  Most day are fine, but great times are few.  This is not as negative a comment as it must seem.  I've had a great life overall, but it has not been easy.

I wrestled with the responsibilities that landed on me, I still do.  My hopes and dreams have been pushed aside for someone else's good.  My dreams postponed.  But one of the most satisfying days of my life was the day the Lord confronted me with an old vow I made before Him so many years ago.  That day I remembered that vow I took on my wedding day; for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health until death do us part.  What most of us do not understand is that Jesus will walk with us through anything that He has planned for us.  That day I stood in the back of the church and looked down the isle at the "boy" I was going to marry, I knew that this was for life and I wondered if I was going to make it.  Life is a long time when you are 24.  I was convinced when I took that first step down the isle that I would learn to love him.  Those were the days before I knew my Jesus.  His prodding on those days before and at the wedding show me how faithful He is.  It was four years and two baby boys before I came to know Him  personally.

This is today, over 46 years later from the day we married; 42 years from the day I met my Lord.  On March 21st, my husband received a kidney transplanted into his body.  Someone died so that he could live.  I'm still having trouble processing what just happened.  It is amazing to me.  And yet I keep thinking about and praying for the family that lost someone.  What a terrible day for them.

I am so grateful for the incredible gift that we have been given.  I will always be grateful for these days.  They are so special!

Enjoying my blessings!
dianne

P.S. to Quilt #4 Completed!

Yes, my granddaughter made the little lavender top for Linsay on her sewing machine.  She really is clever!!

Quilt # 4 Completed!

So much has been going on.  I will be journaling soon all that has happened and has slowed my quilting down.  It has been so worth it.

Meanwhile, this is quilt #4:
 

This is a quilt from a long time ago; I would say back in the early 2000s.  My intention was to use my Handi Quilter table frame and Juki setup and learn how to quilt.  There are twelve blocks and my original intention was to do each one differently.  So...that is what happened finally this year, only I'm using Phoebe, my Q'nique 15R that I received just a couple of days before Christmas.  This is again practice using Phoebe; how to handle her to get the results I want.  I already know how to free motion quilt on my sewing machine.  I have found that this is absolutely my favorite part of quilting.  I think it is because I'm seeing the end results to my hard work.  I'm working on finding a machine finished binding technique that I'm satisfied with.

 I love working with Phoebe!  Such a sense of satisfaction.  I think she was the best purchase I've made when it comes to quilting.  I would hurt moving my quilts under the sewing machine.  I wasn't sure how I would do standing, but I find it so much easier than sitting and moving the quilt around.

Now, I have to show off my granddaughter's work:

 My 12 year old granddaughter crocheted these hats for her little friend, Linsey, about three weeks ago.  She is particularly good with her hands and very creative at the same time.  I remember doing this kind of stuff when I was young.  I'm so proud of her!!  She also has a sewing machine and I know that she sews for her dolls as well.  I'm not sure whether or not she made this outfit.  I think I need to find out!!

Enjoying my blessings!
d

What a good feeling!

This is the quilt I'm working on:

This is Quilt #4.  I've been working on it for a while and I'm almost finished.  I put this top together back in the early 2000s for an online quilting class at Quilt University.  It is put together with 12 plain blocks and a border; each block was to be a different filler. This class was suppose to teach quilting on a small portable tabletop quilt frame with a home sewing machine.  It was to mimic professional quilting frames, but affordable for the hobbyist.  I cannot remember why I never got to work on the class material, but this top got put away and then lost in the attic with other piles of fabric that needed a place to be stored until I needed them.  I couple of years ago, I got back to that stash in the attic.  I was so pleased to find this top again.  I thought I was going to quilt it as soon as I got FMQ on my sewing machine to a place where I could do a somewhat decent job on it.  But I had ideas for new quilts that took precedence over this little quilt.  

I've been working on this quilt on and off for three weeks when I had some free time.  Today I had a good portion of the day to work almost nonstop.  I was working on the border that you can see along the frame's top roller and down the opposite side.  The center 12 blocks were finished yesterday.  

All of this just to say, What a good feeling!  I got Phoebe the Friday before this past Christmas.  This is March 5th, 2018.  I cannot believe how much I've learned.  I'm no longer fighting for control of the machine!  I've  learned the difference between Precise and Cruise control and when to use each one.  I'm also getting the sense of working without breaking thread and I can move my ruler without stopping the needle.  These are huge steps in learning how to long arm quilt.  As you can see, I enjoy detail work, but as I worked across this quilt, I've made sure I have a few edge to edge designs I can use when appropriate.  

As I stood there working today,  I just felt so good!  I truly understand why long arm quilters love quilting this way.  I love it, too!  There is such a sense of creativity and accomplishment having learned to this point.  It is hard when I finally have to say, I'm done for the day; I'm tired.  

I should be finished soon and I'm looking forward to displaying this quilt in my studio. I'm hoping to be able to start quilting for others soon.  Meanwhile, my next quilt is a Christmas quilt top also made years ago.  

I'll be posting this little brown quilt soon.

Meanwhile, I'm enjoying my blessings,

dianne

Quilt #3 - Rainbow Quilt

I cannot believe how fast this past 2 weeks have gone by!  I thought I had written this post already and that it was ready to post.  So my last quilt was a quilt top from the mid 1980s.  When I made  it, I was disappointed.  It was very hard to find nice fabric in the colors I wanted.  I put it away, but chose to keep it.  I'm not sure why, but I'm so glad I did.

 

Because I'm struggling with not being able to move the position of the quilt as I do on my sewing machine, I have drawn out the rope pattern.  I used a Sewline ceramic mechanical pencil to do the markings.

 

This is the little quilt.  I hated the only solid green I could find and the yellow was just plain wimpy!  Back in the 1980s it was hard to find yellow.  It is possible it is not even cotton, but a cotton polyester blend...the green may be the same.

 

What I do like, is the rectangular blocks of color.  That was unusual in the 80s.   The contrast with the black, I love.  Today in my eyes, the colors sing.   This still needs binding which I haven't taken the time to sit at the machine and piece it.  I find that I want to be working with Phoebe and continuing to learn this new craft to the best of my ability.   

 I enlarged this picture so in the little sunny section in the upper left the piano key portion of the border shows up.  I love doing this particular detail.  Love the way it looks.

As far as the rest of the border,  like the rope border, I'm working on learning to quilt in all directions. I'm not crazy about the way it came out, but it is one more time of practice and I'm getting better.  I figure it will take a year to get quilting down to my liking.  So this is the Rainbow Quilt.

But, you know what?  I love working with Phoebe and I'm proud of each quilt I do.  Somewhere along the line, I will improve.  It really is exciting to me.  I still cannot believe I have a long arm quilting machine. it is not a love/hate relationship.  I simply love working with Phoebe whether I'm struggling or not.  She is a great blessing to me.  I'm working on another one now.  I'm not sure what I will call it.  Here is a quick preview:

 

Enjoying my blessings!

dianne

Quilt #2 - Red Raffle Quilt for Living Waters Center

 I volunteer at Living Waters Center in Lowell, MA.  Living Waters is a Christian based Community Center formed to help the homeless in this city.   We had an Empty Bowl event to raise money for the homeless back in early February.  So I had this little quilt top ready and hadn't had a lot of interest in quilting it.  I simply had no idea what to do with it.  I was debating adding applique to give it some interest.  When we were asked if we had anything that could be raffled off, this came to my mind immediately.  These pictures are not great and the color is not true, but it was great practice helping with handling the machine.  What I love is the ruler work piano key border.  I will do this again on something.  I really love ruler work.  It makes everything look so finished.

 This shows off the piano key border really well.  Also on this quilt is a little half inch border in white.  It has almost become a signature part of my quilts made in the past 18 years or so.  There is something about it that is a step away from border after border after border. 

 

I've had this fabric for years and absolutely love yellow and red.  When it came to choosing a back, I was all over choosing this fabric.  So glad I did.  I hope the winner of the raffle loves it as much as I do.

I also chose peach thread to quilt this.  It was the perfect pink!  I was very surprised.  It blended so well with the red on the front, but was subtle on the white.  And it was very pretty on the yellow.  I don't usually use thread that stands out like this, but I definitely learned something important doing so.  It will now be part of my decision making process.

So, all in all, again the learning process or learning curve has been a great experience.  There truly is always something to learn.  Every day I improve and every week or two I've finished another quilt top.  It works for me.  By the Way, I actually love the way this little quilt came out!

Enjoying my blessings,

dianne

Phoebe and Me - One quilt quilted

I want to keep a record of this quilt.  It is the very first quilt top quilted with Phoebe.  The Quilt top was made in the mid to late 1980s.  The fabrics were purchased from the Massachusetts Mills in Lowell, MA just before it closed down production in the late 1980s.  I paid $3 for a brown paper grocery bag of fabric...this is just a small portion of the fabric in the bag.  I made baby quilts, and bed quilts from those fabrics 80s fabrics; what a deal!  I have one more quilt top from them to be quilted.  I'm looking forward to working on that one as well.

So this is a practice quilt.

 For me, this was an adventure in creativity into a new style of quilting.  It was decided step by step on the quilting frame.

My quilting isn't perfect, but I'm pleased.

This is the back of the quilt.  It shows up well.  Because the backing is a solid piece of fabric, it is a whole cloth quilt on the back and a Dresden Plate on the front...two quilts in one;  I love both sides.

I am on a learning curve with Phoebe.  This is a new thought process.  My concentration is on moving the machine.  Quilting on my Husqvarna sewing machine is like drawing with the pencil held in a holder while I move the paper to draw.  This is more like normal drawing except I'm trying to maneuver a big machine rather than a little pencil.  As a result, there are bloopers,  but I'm okay with that.  Many professional quilters say once it is done it will still look great.  I think I agree.

I've finished one more quilt since this and I'm working on my third one now.  As I was working on that third quilt, I realized that I was not thinking about moving Phoebe over the surface, but was now thinking about process. I was watching my starts and ending, my meeting points on feathers and my speed rather than just control of the machine.  I'm making progress, growing and I love it.  It is one of the most creative things I have ever done and I'm excited!

Enjoying my blessings,

Dianne

Meet Phoebe!

She is here and we have been working together for a couple of weeks.  I'm so exited!!  I finally have a quilting companion.  She's great.  She's a hard worker and pretty quiet.  And as a matter of fact, she's actually quite pretty.  She's doesn't fight me or make my work harder, although she absolutely will stretch me in my craft.  We have gotten a lot accomplished together.  I think I'll keep her.

This is Phobe!

This is my new Q'nique and SR2 frame from Grace Company.  I am in love.  This is a very simple machine to use if you are familiar with sewing machines in general.  I did need to use my manual to thread the machine and use the bobbin winder although neither one is very difficult.  She came with a stitch regulator, so we needed to put on the encoders necessary.  Between the manual and especially YouTube, we got it done.

Phoebe on her frame.

When you order something like this while trying to stay in budget, you begin to second guess your original choices.  This is the bottom line metal long arm frame from Grace Company.  I wouldn't call it cheap.  But their other frames appear to be better for loading up quilts.  My personal opinion?  I absolutely love this frame.  It is very solid and very easy to use.  Now, I purchased a Handi Quilter table top frame years ago to use with my Juki TL98e.  I learned to float my batting and quilt top on that frame.  That is my favorite way to quilt.  It allows me to be closer to the machine and more importantly, the needle and area being quilted.  I could not be more pleased.  Phoebe and frame make  great quilting partners.

I did load a practice piece when she was first up and running.  Although I machine quilt on a Husqvarna 140C, this is different and has a learning curve.  I'm not expecting the learning curve to be as great because I already understand FMQ.  It is just getting used to how the machine feels as I move around.  It is very different.

Working on loading the frame, almost there.

Basting the side down

Quilt has been stabilized with stitch-in-the-ditch.

Note the clamps on the front rod holding the quilt in place.

This made it easy to keep the quilt squared.

The quilt was made in the 1980s around four boys heading into their teen years and free time was scarce.  I did have some time after all were in bed to sit and hand applique the (Dresden) plates onto the background squares, but never had the time to hand quilt.  The fabric is some of the last scraps from the Massachusetts Mills in Lowell, MA. not too far from my house.  I bought those scraps for $3 for a grocery bag filled.  Although my applique skills weren't great in the mid to late 1980s, I love this quilt top.  I decided to quilt it by machine so that I could finish it and use it.  The top is roughly 30 years old.  This will be an accomplishment.

So please to get Phoebe into my journal.  She is a huge gift and encouragement from the Lord and my husband to continue quilting.  I hope I have many years to work with her.

Enjoying my blessings!

dianne

I Feel Accompished! April 2017

(Today is January 7, 2018.  This is a blog I never got into Quilting Loft, but want to keep.  I was feeling so accomplished last April after working so hard to learn FMQ.)


I just finished a baby quilt to give to a young family at church.  Quinn is their first child and she is the first baby that has been born into the church for a while.  I wasn't sure where I was going with this quilt.  Today's young people think differently about quilt styles.  It was a challenge as I don't know this young mother really well yet, but I wanted to share her joy over this treasured addition to her family.  I remember my first baby, too!

So, I opened my fabric stash drawers and started searching.  I opened my dies stash to see what I could find.  I looked through my threads stash and decided the color and style of the quilting.  But I still had doubts.

I've changed my quilting dramatically over the past two years.  I still like the same traditional quilt patterns and styles that I began learning in 1968 when I made my first quilt top.  Traditional quilts are what has drawn me into quilting in the first place.  I suppose I will always love them,  I started out hand piecing and hand quilting; I still do some of that.  My problem has always been that I don't have the freedom of endless hours to sit and work so that a quilt is finished in less than 10 years!  When machine piecing became the new technique on the block (hmmm...is that a pun?), I thought, "This is what I need to do if ever I'm going to begin to make all the quilts I have in my head.  So, I learned to machine piece, but I was still hand quilting.  That means I have a number of quilt tops that need quilting.

About for years ago, I decided I need to learn machine quilting.  I bought my Husvarna Viking 140C Anniversay Edition sewing machine with an 11" throat and I determined I was going to learn how to machine quilt on that baby.  It has been a journey as I tried to retrained all my drawing skills into a new mind set.  Now instead of moving the pencil across the paper, the pencil (my machine) is stationary and I move the paper (my quilt sandwich) under the pencil.  My brain did not change quickly and I have some work to prove it.

My first attempt at machine quilting 2003
my first Leah Day project 365 lesson 2012
my feathers in training 2014
   (I don't have pictures to enter in here today.  I think the practice pieces are in my studio on the other side of Lowell.)

But I didn't give up.  I was given a quilt top that needed quilting and I was told I could practice on it.  That was one of the most valuable gifts I could have been given and it became a valuable gift to give back to its owner.  It opened doors of creativity that I'm not sure I've even had the opportunity to explore.  And that quilt certainly boosted my confidence.

This is where I was in April 2017.

This is Quinn's quilt.  I've come such a long way.  For whatever reason, I didn't post this post back in April last year, but I certainly want to make a record of my accomplishments.  I'm so proud of this quilt!!  Its colors made it hard to photograph well with my iPhone, but I still love looking at the pictures!!  My description of the quilting is "doodling".  I was just playing.  I'm glad I've finally gotten this into Quilting Loft.

Merry Christmas! December 22, 2017

As I sit waiting...

I cannot believe a year has gone by.  So much has gone on.  I've been unable to do  much quilting this year.  I finished a lap quilt last spring and a baby quilt right after that.  Then came summer.  I needed to paint rooms in my house; it was just time.  I'm no spring chicken.  I would work as long as I could, then I would need to stop working and rest.  So, every other day I tried to work, but like everything in my life, I would get called away to other projects that needed to get done, you know, laundry, cleaning, entertaining.  Quilting almost didn't exist.  When I finally finished painting all the rooms and ceilings, I was exhausted.  It has taken time to physically rebound, but I think I'm back.

So, I'm back to quilting.  Like so many times I began thinking, if I am ever going to get quilts finished I'm going to have to change something.  I've learned to Free Motion Quilt (FQM) on my sewing machine and I love the results, but for what I do, it takes way too long.  I love being creative in quilting and I do like a project that takes time, but I have quilt tops that will never get done if I don't find a faster way to quilt them.  A couple of quilts a year is not going to do!

This is French General's, I want to say, Maison de Noel.  I'm no longer sure that is what the fabric line is named, but I love it.  This did not take that long, but was still slow...days.  This is my couch quilt that I wrap up in every time I'm cold.  It is winter here :)

       This is Floating Stars from Connecting Threads.  It's my beginning ruler work and a challenge to create something different in each square and diamond.  This took about 100 hours to quilt...I love it, but too long!


As I sit here typing,  I'm waiting for UPS to deliver the last package out of 5.  Four came yesterday and the last will arrive, I expect, in about two and a half hours.  It is December 22, 2017.  No, I'm not waiting for Christmas presents.  I'm waiting for the last and most needed package to my new mid arm and frame.  Everything else was delivered yesterday and they decided to hold the package with the carriage and all the nuts and bolts to the frame.  I'm just waiting.  There is not a thing I can do until that last package comes!!

Yes, I have a new Q'nique 15M, a manual quilter.  I have wanted a long arm for such a long time and finally I'm getting one.  I received a qulting magazine in the mail just before Thanksgiving.  I picked it up to give it a quick glance and there it was, a great November deal!  It looked so good that I immediately went into their website and there it was...$1000 less than the ad in the magazine.  I started praying.  Yes, this is okay.  I asked my husband.  "Now, is the time to get it while you are still able to use it."  Do I have the money...yes, I do.  I ordered it.

I waited. And I waited.  Then an email.  Would I mind if they upgraded my 15M to one with stitch regulation for free because the machine I ordered would not be in until into January and they wanted to get it out to me before Christmas!  Well, how long do you think it took me to decide?  I had been wondering if I should upgrade to stitch regulation for $500.  There are days that I'm so totally stunned at what the Lord can do.  I debated and He answered!

I'm expecting my last package in about two hours.  I feel like a little kid!

Merry Chrstmas!